Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, and in particular, to radio frequency (RF) electronics.
Description of the Related Technology
Intermodulation distortion (IMD) is the amplitude modulation of signals containing two or more different frequencies in a system with nonlinearities. The intermodulation between each frequency component will form additional signals at frequencies that are not just at harmonic frequencies of either, but also at the sum and difference frequencies of the original frequencies and at multiples of those sum and difference frequencies. An ideal amplifier would be a linear device, but real amplifiers are nonlinear, and when amplifying input signals containing two or more different frequencies, amplifier output signals exhibit intermodulation distortion. Amplifiers can comprise bipolar junction transistors (BJT) having a base, a collector, and an emitter, and field effect transistors (FET) having a gate, a drain, and a source.